In the spirit of friendly competition, “Bee Cave Bob” the Texas armadillo challenges Punxsutawney Phil to see which mascot has the most accurate weather forecast.
At a cloudy Armadillo Day event in Bee Cave, Texas, residents gathered Friday to watch the beloved armadillo predict the weather, giving Texans something to look forward to after an unseasonably harsh winter.
“Everyone, he doesn’t see a shadow. So, with the power that has been poured into me, we can welcome spring. Spring begins on March 11th,” the announcer said.
Honeybee Cave Bob’s prophecy is coming to Punxsutawney, as Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog predicted an early spring after not seeing his shadow during Friday’s annual Groundhog Day event. It matched Phil’s prediction of early spring.
The armadillo’s owner told Fox 7 Austin that Bee Cave Bob’s predictions over the past few years have been 100 percent correct.
“I don’t know if it’s a Texas thing, but someone told me that,” animal trainer and rehabilitator Ralph Fisher told FOX 7.
This holiday was created when a group of friends decided that the state of Texas needed its own mascot to predict the weather every Groundhog Day.
Since 2011, Bee Cave Bob has been predicting whether spring will come to the Lone Star State or whether winter will extend for another six weeks, but the armadillo’s predictions don’t always match those of Philadelphia’s groundhog.
According to Spectrum News 1, last year Phil predicted a long winter, but Bob said spring was on the way because he couldn’t see his shadow.
During his 10+ year career, the majority of Bob’s predictions have been for early spring. According to Spectrum News 1, he has predicted longer winters only three times: in 2011, 2013 and 2022.
Both mascots predict the weather through their shadows. If you don’t see their shadows, it means early spring is approaching, but if you see their shadows, winter will last a little longer.
